This invention relates to improvements in storage compartments for use in recreational vehicles,
There are many types of recreational vehicles and the present invention is particularly applicable to camper van conversions which involve the conversion of a commercial cargo van, These camper van conversions are officially known in the industry as Class B recreational vehicles, Various cargo van body lengths, e.g. short, standard and extended body lengths are provided by several of the automotive manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, In the process of converting the cargo van, portions of the floor are lowered or "dropped" and all or a substantial portion of the roof may be raised thereby to provide additional head room, The van is typically provided with an interior layout designed to make the best use of the limited space available as shown for example in my earlier Canadian Patent No, 1,200,262 issued Feb. 4, 1986,
Regardless of the degree of effort made to conserve space in these types of recreational vehicles, the provision of adequate storage space always poses a problem, There seldom seems to be sufficient storage space particularly for larger outdoor items such as lawn chairs and if these have to be placed inside the van in places where they are not intended, the result is a cluttered and untidy van interior,
For years, recreational vehicles of the type under consideration have been provided with running boards which extend along both sides of the body between the wheels at the lower extremity of the body, In the past, these running boards were flat from one end to another with nothing beneath them, Other than acting as a step and hence providing for ease of entering the van, they tended to have an attractive appearance and helped to cover from view anything unattractive underneath the van. However, certain cargo van manufacturers have in the recent past re-designed the running boards such that the sides tops of these pseudo running boards are curved or slanted, except at the doors, to provide a so-called "ground effect" and to blend in better with the curved exterior of the van. Thus, the term "running board", as used hereafter is intended to refer to this redesigned form of running board as opposed to the more traditional form of flat running board which acts as a step. Some of these running boards have hinged sections in them to provide easier service access such as for the filling of liquid propane gas or the discharging of sewer tanks etc. while at the same time they still have nothing under them which would serve to provide a closed storage compartment.
For years, we have been using the space under the floor of the van, that runs next to the running board and over to the chassis rail, for a semi-closed in type of storage with a door opening cut in the body below floor level and through the so-called rocker panel which is a few inches in from the exterior skin and converges toward it at the bottom. This storage area is partially exposed to the dusty and sometimes wet elements and hence items that had to be kept clean and dry could not be stored there.